OUR SERVICES
Comprehensive DBT for Adults
Comprehensive DBT for Adults
Comprehensive Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) is a structured, skills-based approach designed for adults who feel overwhelmed by intense emotions, stuck in reactive patterns, or exhausted from trying to manage everything on their own. DBT goes beyond insight alone by teaching practical tools for navigating emotions, relationships, and everyday stress–with steady support from a collaborative care team.
This work is thoughtful, evidence-based, and paced intentionally. You don’t need to know what you need going in–that’s something we’ll figure out together.
You’re not broken, you just never learned the skills
You may be insightful, capable, and deeply motivated, yet still find your emotions escalating quickly, lingering too long, or pulling you into patterns you don’t want to repeat.
If you’ve tried therapy before and felt like understanding wasn’t enough, DBT was created for moments like this.
Is Comprehensive DBT
Right for You?
do You Feel like intense emotions are running your life?
do Your fears keep you from pursuing your dreams?
do your relationships feel like being on a roller coaster?
are you running from your feelings with excessive working, drinking, shopping, or screen time?
are you are Struggling to maintain a job or keep your cool when stressors rise?
are you are Engaging in self-destructive behaviors and struggling to care about your wellbeing ?
You don’t need a diagnosis or the perfect words to explain what you’re experiencing. If life feels overwhelming or hard to manage right now, that’s a meaningful signal—and it’s enough to start the conversation. If you’ve tried therapy before and felt that understanding alone wasn’t enough, DBT was created for moments like this. DBT is about building skills, confidence, and a sense of control, helping you move through difficult moments and create a life that feels more steady, intentional, and worth living.
How DBT Works Over Time
As skills strengthen, therapy may shift toward addressing deeper experiences, improving relationships, and building a life that feels more aligned and sustainable.
Your therapist and care team guide this process so you’re never asked to move faster than you’re ready for.
Daily Stability
Emotional Regulation
Building Safety
WHAT’S INCLUDED
comprehensive dbt
for ADULTS
The four components of our comprehensive DBT program
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In individual DBT therapy, you’ll work one-on-one with your therapist to understand what’s been keeping you stuck and to create meaningful change. Together, you’ll identify patterns that no longer serve you and practice skills that help you move toward your goals. Depending on your needs, sessions may include gradually facing fears, increasing positive and fulfilling activities, shifting unhelpful thought patterns, and involving loved ones when support at home can help strengthen your progress.
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A key part of comprehensive DBT happens behind the scenes. Our therapists meet weekly as a consultation team to support one another and stay grounded in the principles of DBT. This collaboration helps therapists stay thoughtful, consistent, and compassionate in their work, so every client receives care that is supportive, skillful, and aligned with the values of DBT.
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Phone coaching is available between sessions to help you use DBT skills in real-life moments, not just in the therapy room. When a situation feels emotionally intense or overwhelming, you can reach out to your individual therapist for brief, focused support on which skills to use and how to apply them. The goal is to help you navigate challenges as they’re happening, so you feel more confident handling difficult situations on your own over time.
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DBT skills groups meet weekly and focus on learning and practicing practical tools to use in everyday life. In a supportive, structured setting, you’ll build skills in mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotion regulation, and interpersonal effectiveness. These skills are taught step by step over a six-month cycle, giving you time to practice, grow, and gain confidence using them outside of group.
TRAUMA-informed care
If trauma is part
of your story
Many people find that difficult or traumatic life experiences can have a lasting impact on how they feel, think, and respond to the world around them. In trauma-informed DBT, our therapists approach this with care, sensitivity, and respect for your pace. We work with you to gently explore how past experiences may be influencing your emotions and behaviors today, always with an emphasis on safety and support.
If it becomes clear that addressing trauma more directly could be helpful, your therapist will talk with you about your options and collaborate with you to decide what feels right. Your treatment is guided by your needs, your readiness, and your goals—every step of the way.
You are not in this alone
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Tricia Mlnarik
PRACTICE OWNER + LMFT
Tricia (she/her) is a DBT-Linehan Board of Certification Certified DBT Clinician and specializes in using DBT to help clients heal from traumatic experiences. She enjoys working collaboratively with clients as experts of their own experiences and goals.
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Leah Nascimento
LMFT
Leah (she/her) has specialized in working with adolescents and young adults, and has brought her talents to helping her clients gain healthy behaviors and learn how to manage their feelings, emotions and personal interactions within the DBT framework. -
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Stormeka Jones
LMFT
Stormeka (she/her) holds a Master’s Degree in Counseling Psychology, she enjoys working with people of all ages with an integrative-holistic approach to help increase self awareness and self acceptance.
Stormeka has utilized CBT, DBT and exposure and response prevention (ERP) with adolescents in inpatient and IOP settings and she approaches clients with trauma informed care.
Frequently Asked Questions
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The Linehan Board of Certification was co-founded by DBT’s treatment developer, Marsha Linehan, PhD, to identify programs and providers who offer DBT consistent with the treatment as it was developed. Linehan Board Certified Programs have been evaluated by experts in the field and verified to be providing DBT consistent with the comprehensive model of DBT designed by Dr. Linehan. Research shows that a DBT therapist’s adherence to treatment principles and structure leads to improved outcomes for clients and families. You can learn more about the Linehan Board of Certification at https://dbt-lbc.org/
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While our initial program commitment is 6 months, clients may continue in DBT for a longer period of time to address their specific needs. In 6 months of DBT, a client can learn all of the skills taught in our skills training groups. Therapists and clients monitor client progress throughout a client’s treatment and collaborate on planning the amount of treatment appropriate for the client’s goals, guided by the evidence we have on DBT’s effectiveness.
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DBT skills groups are psycho-educational groups. We follow the typical structure of beginning with a Mindfulness practice, followed by a review of each group member’s practice of skills, and interactive teaching of new skills each week. Mutli-modal teaching methods, such as video, audio, and in-session activities allow participants to fully engage in class material. Skills groups are 2 hours long with a brief break mid-way. Group members are not engaged in “process” work with one another, rather, group members share their individual progress in using skills learned each week. Group leaders help participants find ways to establish routines for integrating skills and troubleshoot difficulties establishing new behaviors.
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Yes, we have therapists excited to meet with you in person at our San Jose office, conveniently located near major freeways and accessible by public transportation.
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Our adult groups cover 4 main skills areas: Mindfulness, Distress Tolerance, Emotion Regulation and Interpersonal Effectiveness. Adolescent/Multi-family groups cover those same topics with the addition of Middle Path skills, which include strategies to manage conflict between parents and teens.
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Please call (408) 207-5269 for current rates for individual and group sessions or to request a good faith estimate. If your insurance company provides coverage for “out-of-network” outpatient mental health services, a portion of your treatment may be reimbursed to you by the insurance company. Your DBT therapist can provide you with a statement that includes the necessary codes to file directly with your insurance company. Please contact your insurance carrier directly to learn about your plan’s reimbursement rates.
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Adult groups are offered on Monday or Wednesday evenings, from 6:00-8:00 pm, and are currently offered online. Participants must be in the state of California at the time of their participation in skills group. Our multi-family group meets in our San Jose office on Tuesdays from 6:00-8:00 pm.
You don’t have to figure this out alone
Schedule a free informational phone call today. Our intake coordinator is available to answer your questions and schedule your initial session with one of our therapists. Let us know how we can help. Schedule your free initial phone call, approximately 20 minutes, via the link below.